


it seems unforgiving when something ends

by itbelynx



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Current Events, Eggpire on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29751966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itbelynx/pseuds/itbelynx
Summary: After Ranboo is captured by the Eggpire, Techno and Phliza go to save him.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 71
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	it seems unforgiving when something ends

**Author's Note:**

> the family dynamic between philza, techno and ranboo lives rent free in my head. but im also a sucker for angst

The knocking was what had woken him first. Looking outside his window, Techno found that it was still night, and he didn’t have any idea what time it was. Who the hell would be brave enough to knock on his door at this hour? 

He walked downstairs, grumbling softly. “This had better be-” The words faltered in Techno’s mouth as he opened the door and found Phil standing at his front door with severely damaged armor and blood splattered over it and his face. “What happened?” He asked as he ushered the man inside.

“The Egg. It’s become more powerful. It’s controlling people and… Techno, they’ve captured Ranboo.” 

“Who did? And why? Why him?”

“I don’t know. I tried to free him myself, but then Bad attacked me. I only just barely got away,” the older man said, sitting down in a chair, grimacing as he did so. “We have to save him, Techno. I don’t know what that thing wants with him or what it will do to him.”

Techno remembered when Ranboo had fallen down that hole, remembered how scared the kid sounded when he was so close to the Egg. He cursed softly, turning to his chests and immediately beginning to don his armor. Though halfway through putting on his boots, he stopped and instead got out some medical supplies, and moved towards Phil. 

“Let me heal you a bit. I can’t have you being super injured before we get the kid back.” 

Thankfully, Phil allowed him to get to his wounds and wrap bandages around them. They weren’t too deep, there just seemed like a lot of them. It was a good thing Phil had Netherite armor and it helped to protect him. After fixing him up, Techno went to a different chest and grabbed some food, handing it to the other man. “Eat up while I get the rest of my stuff together. There should also be another set of armor in that chest since we don’t have time to fix your current one right now.”

Phil took the food graciously and began to eat as he took off his damaged armor and Techno continued to put his on. It wasn’t long before they were both armored up. Techno went into his basement and grabbed his pickaxe as well as his crossbow, his sword and an extra one for Phil to use, then headed back upstairs. He walked over to his other chests and began packing a small bag full of potions and food to take with them, as well as a couple of other supplies to help them get in and out quickly. Once everything was packed, the two made their way to the portal that would get them where they needed to go. 

“Where are they keeping him? And who specifically?” Techno asked once they were on the other side of the portal, the warmth of the lava already making him sweat in his armor. He took a moment to braid his hair in a tighter braid, so as to keep it out of his face when the inevitable battle ensued. 

“We have to go directly to the Egg. And Bad for sure is there. I’m not sure who would be there now,” Phil said. Techno looked over at him and saw the fear on his face, only slightly hidden by the helmet. “The Egg has become more powerful.”

“It’s gonna be okay, Phil. We’ll save him. When we get over there, you should go grab Puffy. She hates the Egg, too.” 

The other man nodded, and they walked the rest of the way in relative silence. Once on the other side of the portal and back in the Overworld, they took their separate paths: Techno to the Egg, and Phil to go get Puffy. 

The vines had become way more chaotic and overgrown since the last time Techno had been here. He almost cursed himself for not trying to get more involved prior to this, especially since Ranboo had been so scared of the Egg and Puffy had once tried to convince him to join her in taking it down. He made a mental promise that he was going to save Ranboo and destroy this thing for good. 

He made his way to the entrance. He could hear the Egg, even from here. The voices in his head were doing their best to be louder than it, but he could tell it was a struggle even for them. He shook his head and tightened the grip on his sword. He pressed on, heading down the steps. 

_ Blood!  _

__ _ Give blood for the Blood God! _

_ Must save Ranboo! _

_ Kill! Blood!  _

__ __ __ _ Egg bad! _

**He Approaches.**

**Bring Him To Us.**

**Excellent Sacrifice.**

The voices battled in his head, both getting louder and louder with every descending step. He also heard other voices from below, and though he couldn’t make out what they were saying just yet, they sounded like Bad and Ant. 

He finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He peaked around the corner and through the vines saw that Bad and Ant were talking together. A few feet away he saw Ranboo in some sort of cell. Techno couldn’t see him full but from what he could see, he looked like hell. The pigman brought his crossbow out, sheathing his sword for now, took a deep breath and walked fully into the room. 

“Alright, boys. Who wants to die first?”

All three heads whipped around. 

“Techno?!” Ant backed away slightly. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious, Ant?” Bad said, turning to face him, “Techno is here to finally join the Eggpire.”

“You would be highly incorrect on that,” Techno replied, walking forwards and keeping his crossbow trained directly on Bad. “I’m here for Ranboo. He and I are leaving together.” 

“Ooh,” Bad hissed, “I’m afraid that’s not possible, Technoblade. Ranboo is needed by the Egg and I can’t have you just taking him like that.” 

“Then we’re gonna have a problem, Badboyhalo.” He glanced towards Ranboo, who looked absolutely terrified. He looked back towards Bad, gripping his crossbow. “If you don’t let Ranboo and I leave, I’ll kill you and Ant.” 

Ant took another step back, hiding behind the bigger man. “Bad, just let them go. We can-”

“No, Ant! The time is now! The Egg is the most powerful it’s ever been! We need to strike now while Dream is out of the picture!”

“What does Dream have to do with this? Isn’t he in prison?”

“Yes, exactly! He and Tommy are out of the way and now the Egg can free us all!” Bad exclaimed, unsheathing his sword. “Technoblade, you will either sacrifice yourself for the Eggpire, or stand aside as we use Ranboo. Or else, you’ll both perish.” 

“The only one dying today...is you!” 

Techno fired his crossbow, landing a perfect hit directly into Bad’s shoulder. He used that tiny sliver of a moment to use his pickaxe to open the cell that Ranboo was in. He tossed the crossbow at the kid’s feet and turned just in time to get a sword slash across his front. He grimaced and used his pickaxe to get a returning blow and push the man back. He saw Ant coming for him and before he could get a blow, Techno swiped his pickaxe and caught the man in the chest, knocking his back as well. He took a few contents from his bag and threw them at Ranboo before then bolting away in an attempt to bring the other two towards him. 

The three battled, trading blows back and forth. A 2v1 wasn’t something new, but battling these two in particular was proving some difficulty. Techno took a brutal blow to the arm and stumbled back, breathing heavily. He glanced over and saw that Phil was helping Ranboo out of the cell. He started to wonder where Puffy was before she suddenly appeared behind Ant and skewered him with her sword. 

“NO!” Screamed a new voice. They all turned and saw Punz standing at the bottom of the stairs. He darted forward, sword in hand. 

“Puffy, help Phil!” Techno exclaimed as he rushed forward and intercepted Punz as best he could, using his pickaxe to stop the sword and turn it into an awkward angle, in an attempt to disarm him. Using his foot, he brought the other to his knees. 

“Oh, no you don’t!” Bad said behind him. 

Techno glanced over his shoulder and saw Bad advancing on Phil and Ranboo, who looked injured in some way. Oh, he was going to  _ kill _ Bad for hurting the kid. He took his sword and launched it at Bad, watching as it sank between pieces of his armor. 

Bad screeched in pain, falling to his knees for a moment before attempting to stand again. He reached around and took the sword from his back. “You named this blade the  _ Orphan Obliterator _ , right Techno? Well, I’m glad to give its name more purpose to its name,” he said as he advanced on the kid and Phil. 

“Ranboo, get behind me,” Phil said, maneuvering so he was standing between him and Bad. Even though Ranboo was taller than Phil by a lot, he seemed to shrink to be able to hide more behind Phil. 

“I’ll take your last life, Phil. Don’t tempt me. You’re not needed in this.”

“I’m not letting you use Ranboo! I may have my problems, but what you’re doing with this Egg is mental!” 

Techno wanted to run to them, but in that moment Punz stood back up and pushed back against the pickaxe. He turned and used the momentum to slam the weapon directly into Punz’s sternum. “Stay down,” he growled. 

“You killed Ant! And tried to kill Bad!”

“And you guys are trying to mess with Ranboo! He’s a child! And you want to use him! You want to use him to get to me! And I will not let you use either of us.” He freed his pickaxe, and in one huge swing, he drove it into Punz’s skull, killing him. 

He looked over and saw Puffy jump on the back of Bad, stabbing him in the shoulder just as Bad drove both his and Techno’s sword into Phil and Ranboo. 

“NO!” Techno took off for bad, taking a potion of strength from his bag and downed it quickly. Bad was a dead man. There was no coming back from that. He used the various pillars and vines to gain an advantage as he drove his pickaxe into Bad’s clavicle. 

“I’ll kill you!” 

“Not before one of you dies as well!” Bad snarled, using the arm opposite where Techno was to swing towards Phil and Ranboo again. 

Techno glanced over his shoulder and saw both of them fall to the ground but he wasn’t sure if that meant they were both dead or if one was protecting the other. He turned back to Bad, and used his pickaxe as leverage to swing himself up and onto Bad’s other shoulder, before having the pickaxe swing up and around and slamming right into Bad’s neck, causing blood to spew out. The man looked at him in hatred before falling to the ground. 

Without hesitation, Techno turned towards Ranboo and Phil. He saw that the kid was hunched over Phil’s body. He knelt down next to them, gently pushing Ranboo back so he could see Phil. The blade was still embedded into his stomach. It was a horrible sight. There was blood everywhere. 

“Philza? Can you hear me?” He did his best to keep his voice calm. He gently picked up Phil’s head. “Hey, answer me.”

The older looked up at him, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, we’re all fine. You saved us. We need you to get up now, okay?” He glanced at the wound, doing his best not to completely lose it. “You have your totem, right?” 

“Heh. About that.” Phil looked up at Ranboo and Techno followed his gaze to where the kid was holding a Totem of Undying in his hand, and looked absolutely terrified and upset. “Used one earlier in the first fight against Bad. And I used that one to protect Ranboo.” 

“Y-You didn’t-”

“Yes, I did. I’m an old man. I’ve lived a long life. You’re still so young, Ranboo…” Phil said, looking back to Techno, who was just staring at the used totem in Ranboo’s hands. “You gotta promise me, Techno. Promise me you’ll keep him safe.” 

The piglin looked down to his longest and oldest friend, shaking his head slightly. “Philza, no. You can’t- Don’t leave me, Philza. I can’t-”

“Yes, you can. You’ve always been stronger than me, Techno. You’ll be fine, I promise.” Then the man looked to Ranboo again. “And you. I need you to promise to keep Techno safe. He’s going to need you, okay?”

The kid looked like he wanted to argue, but simply nodded. “I promise.”

“Philza, please-” Techno started again. 

“You were the best friend a man could have. Thank you for everything.” He smiled. “Now go. Live. Survive. Don’t….let the voices…” Phil trailed off as Techno watched his gaze move from him to the ceiling before he stopped moving. 

Techno went numb. He wanted to scream, to cry, to destroy the Egg and everyone connected to it. But he knew he would need all the help he could get to do so, and he couldn’t do that with Ranboo injured and without armor. He swallowed the lump in his throat and moved to pick up the old man. 

“What are you-?” Puffy asked. 

“I’m not leaving him!” He said harshly in her direction. He took his sword and pickaxe, handing them both to Ranboo. “You’re gonna protect us while we go back home so we can bury him, got it?” Ranboo nodded and he turned to Puffy again. “Can I ask you to guard us to the portal? They might come back and-”

“I’ll help you, Techno,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She looked sad. “I’m so sorry.” 

Techno only nodded, before turning back to the body before him. As gently as he could, he managed to pick Philza up. The three moved quickly, climbing the stairs out of the pit before finally coming up into the late night sky. Looking around, there looked to be a few people still awake at this hour. 

“Technoblade!” A voice called out. Looking over, they found that it was Tommy and Tubbo coming towards him. The kids both looked excited, before it seemed to dawn on them what had happened and they stopped in their tracks. 

“No…” Tommy said, tears forming in his eyes. “What happened?”

“Not now, Tommy,” Ranboo said, standing in front of Techno, between him and the two boys. “We have to go. But-”

“We’ll escort you,” Tubbo said resolutely. 

Techno wanted to tell them to go away, but he didn’t have the heart. A part of him felt if he spoke more than a few words at a time then he would just lose it. And he didn’t want any of them to see that. So instead, he just nodded and let them escort him and Ranboo back to the portal. They all traveled in relative silence, except for the sniffling that came from the boys. 

They reached the portal and everyone except Puffy stepped through, though not before she hugged each of the three kids. She gave a nod to Techno, who nodded back. “I’ll be in touch soon.” Then she trotted off. 

They walked through the Nether still rather quietly. Tommy and Ranboo were both on the protection squad, fighting off anything that came near them. Finally they reached the other side where they all stepped through the portal and into the harsh, cold snow. It was still night out, though Techno surmised that the sun would be coming up soon. They reached the houses soon enough and Techno placed Philza’s body on his bed before going into his house to retrieve a shovel to start digging a grave. 

“Someone should go find Ghostbur,” Tubbo said softly. 

“It would just upset him. Best not to tell him just yet,” Tommy said as he sat down at the foot of the stairs Philza had once built. 

The two began to have a small conversation, but Techno stopped listening, focusing more on building the grave. He had barely begun when he saw a second shovel join him. Looking up, he saw Ranboo there. They exchanged a look before both of them nodded and continued digging. In a matter of minutes, the grave was dug. Techno planted his shovel in the ground and went back inside to retrieve Philza’s body. 

Upon entering, he realized that he hadn’t closed the man’s eyes. He took a moment to close them, then let out a very shaky breath before picking up the body once more and heading back outside. They didn’t have any coffins, but letting the earth consume his corpse was much more fitting for the man who gave everything. Techno gently placed the body into the hole, placing his hands together on his stomach before climbing out. He turned, paused for a moment, before he started placing the dirt back over the body. Rambo started helping and together they covered their dead friend. There was a mound left once they were done and the two took the time to get on their knees to better compact the soil so that it might be a little harder to disturb the man’s final resting place. 

“We should… We should say a few words,” Tubbo said softly. 

“Philza Minecraft… You and I had our problems, but you were always a kind man. You did everything you could to help others above all else,” Tommy said, stepping closer until he was standing at the edge of the grave. “You were like a father to me. And I’ll never be able to repay the kindness you showed me.” 

There was a moment of silence before Tubbo stepped forward, next to Tommy. “You were a great man. I’m sorry that L’Manburg failed you. I’m sorry for putting you under house arrest. And I’m sorry that the country drove your son mad enough that you had to kill him. I promise that I won’t let anything like that happen again.” 

Ranboo didn’t say anything, just walked away. He returned a few moments later with a sign and he placed it at the head of the grave. 

_ Here lies Philza Minecraft _

_ A father, and a friend. _

“You were always so kind to me, even when you had no reason to be. You helped me after I betrayed you. You spared my life. You allowed me sanctuary here. I…” Ranboo broke off and Techno closed his eyes, trying to steel himself. “I owe you everything, Philza. I’ll never be able to repay you, but maybe I can use you as an example to go by.” His voice was shaky and Techno could tell he was trying not to cry, knowing that it caused him pain. 

After a small moment of silence, where they all just stared at the mound of dirt, Techno stepped forward and placed his hand on the sign. “Thank you, old friend,” he said softly just as dawn began to break. He knew wherever Phil was that he understood the sentiment and the weight of his words. He patted the sign twice before taking his shovel and making his way to the steps to head back inside.

“I’m gonna make some breakfast, if you guys want any,” he said over his shoulder.

“Tubbo and I need to go find Ghostbur, just in case Philza also comes back as a ghost. I don’t want him to have that thrust upon him without any warning,” Tommy explained. 

“Okay. See you around, then.”

There was another beat of silence where the two just exchanged a look before the two young boys started on their trek back to their home. 

Meanwhile, Ranboo was still just staring at the grave. Techno assumed that he would want some time to grieve alone, so he headed inside and started cooking up some potatoes and other vegetables. It didn’t take too much time, but he noticed that when he was done that Ranboo still had not come inside. He glanced out the window and saw that the half-enderman was coming back from his little shack towards the grave again. He watched as the kid placed some bright yellow flowers on the mound with shaky hands. Techno’s shoulders dropped, feeling bad for the kid. He wasn’t super close with Wilbur when he was alive, so this was probably the first time someone close to him had died. He stepped back outside and walked down the steps to the grave. He knelt down next to Ranboo and helped to decorate the grave in flowers. 

Once they finished, the grave had a bed of flowers around the edge as well as some petals spread across the top. They both took a moment to admire their work quietly. 

“I’m so sorry, Techno…”

“What are you-?”

“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten caught by Bad, Philza would still be-”

“Hey.” Techno placed both hands on the kid’s shoulders, turning him to face him, wanting him to understand every word he was about to say. “This was  _ not  _ your fault. Bad and the Egg. That’s who is responsible. They are the ones that captured you. It is not your fault for getting captured “

“I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but I don’t… I can’t see how it’s not my fault, Techno!” The kid’s eyes were full of tears. “I was stupid and had gotten cornered! I should have pearled away but I panicked. He started calling me a traitor, that the Egg had told him everything, that I was just as bad as Dream and I-”

The kid's words stopped in his throat as Techno pulled him into a deep and comforting hug. He felt the kid tense up before immediately hugging back, shaking slightly. “I’m so sorry, Ranboo. I should have been faster. I should have been with you in the first place. I don’t blame you, Ranboo. You’re just a kid. They used you to get to me and I’m so sorry for that. I promise I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. I’ll kill Dream myself if I have to.” Techno felt tears leave his eyes finally. “Philza cared about you a lot, you know that, right? He’s the self sacrificing type. His last life was always going to be something like this. I just thought we’d have more time…” 

“This isn’t fair. It should have been me,” he replied with a squeaky voice. 

Techno pulled back so he could look the other in the eye. “Hey, no. If it had been you, we would have gone to war and potentially all died if it had been you. We don’t know who all the Egg has influenced and while I am quite good at murdering people, I’m under the assumption that I would have been overwhelmed if I would have had to battle everyone here.”

Ranboo nodded. He was shaking and there were tears falling down his face, which was visibly causing him pain. “What… What are we gonna do?”

“Well first, I suggest breakfast,” he smiled, glad that it also got Ranboo to smile. “But we’ll be grieving for a while. And while we do that, we might want to get in touch with Puffy again and see who all is not affected by the Egg and then we all need to team up to take it down once and for all.” 

The kid nodded, taking a moment to wipe his face, grimacing from the pain his tears caused him. “I just hope that they can’t get to me like they did this time.” 

“We need to do some research to create something to make sure that what he’s saying doesnt’ hurt you at all. And after the Egg nonsense, I say we take a trip to the prison and kill ourselves a green boy.” 

Ranboo was silent, but he looked stunned. “Wouldn’t that-?”

“I don’t care if another war breaks out. He deserves to die. But first things first, breakfast.” 

They both got up and headed inside. 

It would take time. But Techno knew that eventually they would be okay. They’d just need to rely on each other for a little while. And he was okay with that. He was used to being alone, but it was nice to look after someone and in turn have them look after him. He had gotten used to Philza’s roll in his life, so adjusting to Ranboo would take a little while, but he knew deep in his gut that they’d be okay. Maybe he’d convince Ranboo to move at least into Philza’s house, or even just build him a spare bedroom to live in his house.

Time. It would take time. For now, though, they could just grieve and begin to plan the destruction of the Egg. They could worry about all the other stuff later. 


End file.
